Interlocking lever for silo-doors.



W. A. HOLNAG'EL. `IBTTBRLOGKIBTG LEVER FOR SILO DUURS.

' APPLIO'ATION FILED APR. 5, 1909.

'941,679'. Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

' l INVENTOR 1 ATTORNEY v ing at Saginaw,

y hereby declare the WILLIAM A. HOLNAGEL, 0F SAGINAW, MICHIGAN.

INTER/LOCKING LEVER FOB SILO-DOORS.

Application led April 5, 1909. Serial No. 487,992.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. HOL- NAGEL, a citizen of the UnitedpStates, residin the county of Saginaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Interlocking Levers for SiloDoors; and I do following to. be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,

such .as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invent-ion relates to silos and more particularly to means for locking silo doors in` position.

As is well known, thelon itudinally eX- tending opening in a. silo is c osedby means of a series of doors arranged end to end and L the cross-girts, shall held in place by means of locking levers. As the ensilage is-used, by being fed to the cattle, the upper doors are removed in succession.

It has been customary, in order to permit the farmer to remove the upper door, to so form the dror locking levers that their handles, together with the crossp-girts on the ordinary steel frame silo, forms a ladder, permitting thel farmer to ascend and remove the uppermost door. erally secured tol the doors adapted to over-lapthe door framel or easing of the silo, and in orderto remain in horiliontal position when supporting the weight of a person ascending the silo, it is necessary that the ends of the levers engaging thel door frame or caslng shall be held against movement- Otherwise, in case the levers should yield or give under the weight of the farmer, the latter would be precipitated to the ground, to his probable injury. Such accidents are very apt to occur, because, owing to the shrinkage or warpage of the silo frame, the means depended upon to limit the movementpf the levers and retain their handles in horizontal position, is moved out of its proper positionlan'd `does notv serve as au abutment to be engaged by the operative end of the lever. Also, owing to wear, such abutments may not fulfil their purpose.

The object' of my invention is to provide a locking ni'ean for retaining silo doors 1n position, such locking means, n

serve as a ladder-winch can not yield beneath the weight of anyone ascending the ladder, even though the operative outer ends of the Vlevers should acci- Specication of Letters Patent.

hese levers are gem with ,their en'ds together with Patenten Nov'. so, 1909.

dentally become disengaged from the door frame of the silo.

-Another object of my invention is the provision of a locking lever which renders. unnecessary the provision of any abutments or other means en the door frame for engagement by the operative end of the lever and which will retain the doors in place. y

To these and other ends, my invention consists 1n certain novel features and combinations of vparts, such as will be more fully described hereinafter and particllglarly i f pointed. out in the claims. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 isa perspective view of a silo door equipped with my invention, dottedlines showing the positions of the levers in released position. Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing its applica,- ti on to a silo, and lFig. 3 is a detail top plan view.

A indicates a fragmentary portion of a silo, 1 being the door opening, Q, the door frame, and 3, the door. These elements are constructed in any suitable manner and form no 'portion of my invention.

Thel door is provided near its opposite' longitudinal` edges with a pair of levers. Preferably, I form such levers each with a ,headll pivotally secured to the door as at 5, vthe outer end of such head being adapted to over-lap the door frame 2.

As-one means for insuring that the outer end of the lever will firmly/engage the door frame to retain the door 3 in position,` may provide the under face of the head 4 with a rounded or cam surface.

The inner end of the head is provided with an arm 6, by means is 'oscillated into andout of position. The levers are located preferably opposite and in alinenientwith each other, the inner end of one arm being provided with a recess (3', in which is received a tooth 7 carried by the opposite end of the lever when the levers are being brought into horizontal alinement.

The extreme -inner ends of the arms are each equipped with abutments 8, 48, having fiat faces, adapted to engage each .other when the arms are in horizontal position, to prevent further downward movement 4of the levers. These abutments project upwardly from the arms to effect this result..

In operation, as the ensilage is deposited in the silo, the doors are all in place, closing the door opening 1 from bottom to top, the levers being in the positions shown in full of which the lever lines in Fig. l', with their ends int-ernieshing and the abutnients 8, 8, engaged. ll his construction not only serves a ladder, but ,also es a. brace for the door. llihen rhe ensilee'e is 'lo be used, the farmer Climbs to the uppermost door which he releases by :forcing l-he inner ends of the levers up- Werdly, es shown in dotted lines in Fig. l,

thereby disengeging the outer ends of he levers from the door freine.

.So irr as l :ini aware, it is new to provide interloelling levers for silo doors. It is also new, so im es l un aware, to connect the inner ends of the levers in any manner. ity is also new, so fin? as l ein aware, to provide the inner ends of silo door levers with the particular interlocking means illustrated and described.

Itis, of course, obvious that changes might be made in the form Aand arrangement oi the several parte described, Without dep-.irting from the spirit and seope of my inven- Jsion.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim es new, is zl. rllhe combination with a suitable strueture and a door therefor, of e pair or' levers pivetelly secured to the door, and ineens for preventing the depression of lilieinner i ends of the levers pesipredetermined point, irrespective oi.E the enga-gement of the outer ends oi the levers with the structure. j

2. rEhe combination with n. suitable structure and e door eherefor, of a, pair or' levers pivotelly secured io the door, :ind 'ineens carried by the inner ends oi? ehe levers for preventing the depression oi the levers pest e `predeterniined point.

3. The combination with a. suilable struoljure and e door 'lliereoi', of e. peirof levers pivotelly secured to the door, and eeacting inerrneshing nien-ns earrielfi by the inner ends of the levers for preventing the depression oi" the levers pest e. predelerinined point.

4. The combination with e. suitable smel levers :idupled lo eng; 5 f inner ends oi' the levers einem lure having` :in opening' l'hei'oiii nml ii door lor closing' he opening, ol :i pam' of oppo silelv locziled levers pivolwl inlei'inedi.' e lheir ends to the door, llio oulei ends ol lne c lho sli'iului'e, llic :idnpled lo :ibuty each other when the levers :1re in horizontal position.

5. The erinbinzition with :i .suitable structure heving en opening therein :nul u door for closing the opening', ol' n. pair ol? opposiiely locziied levers pivolod iiui-i'iiiedinl'c their ends to the door, the outer ends' olf the levers adopted llo engage the siruel'ui'o, the inner ends of hc levers adapted to abut'. eachother when the levers :ire in horizonlnl position, the inner end of one lever carrying :i projecl'ion receivable in u i'eress in lho opposite lever lo 'releasably lool; the levers iii substantially horizontal position.

6. A silo Comprising zi. structure having' :i door opening, zx door for the opening', :nul

' levers niovxibly secured o lhe door, llie iuuci' ends of he levers' :id21 pled to inlerlocl.

7. A silo comprising` :i sli'ucture having' :i door opening'. n door 'for the oponiiugg, lovers niovably scoured to lhe door, :mil :iliulinviilis carried by the inner ends oi the levers and adapted lo eonlnct with euch olhor lo :illui: u positive limit lo the iiu'ivemenl ol l'lio levers iii one direrztion.

S. il. silo comprising' :i sli'uclui'o lmvilig' :l door opening, :i door lor lhe opening, .lovers i'novublv secured ou the door. the under if: ccs of the miler ends ol ille levers bolug convex and :idupled lio overlap :ind li'iulioulilly engage lli; silo sl'rucliiife :idjiiwul (o liho door, lhe inner ends or lhc levers un i'1' ving opposed :ibutinents ililnpled lo onffuge when the levers :ire in hoi'izonl'zil position.

.ln testimony whirreo'li. l iill'ix :uv .signin im: in presence oi lwo iviine.l

lv'fl Lili .fk ll Si. ilitnesses G. O. lii'nnnr,

ltlALrn' l. lllinriiiin.

HOLN Gialli fil 

